Physician&#39;s cabinet.



PATENTED JAN. 29, 1907.

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Shbznl'oz H A HUGHES PHYSIOIANS CABINET APPLIOATIQN FILED MAY 7, 190a.

No- 84Z,-669. I PATENTED JAN. 29, 1907. H. A. HUGHES.

PHYSIOIANS CABINET APPLICATION FILED MAY 7, 1906.

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HENRY A. HUGHES, or ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

PHYSICIANS CABINET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 29, 1907.

Application filed May 7,1906. Serial No. 315,634.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY A. HUGHES, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Physicians Cabinets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved cabinet designed for physicians use.

Because of the stringent rules imposed by various laws, and especially for convenience, it is essential that physicians keep their instruments in the best of shape. To iaciliate this important condition, it is necessary that every instrument have a particular place, so as to enable a practitioner to put his hand on the particular thing he requires and in as short space of time as possible. Furthermore, by providing a particular place for a particular instrument the chance of germ contamination is reduced to a minimum.

According to my invention I have devised a cabinet contalnmg drawers, compartments,

&c., for each instrument or set of instruments and accessories usually in an up-todate physicians oflice. In arranging the various compartments and drawers I have had in mind the necessity of making them in compact form, the cabinet as a whole taking up as little space in an oilice as possible.

The invention also relates to the structural details, all of which I willfully discuss, and particularly point out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved cabinet. Fig. 2 is a similar view looking from the rear. Fig. 3 is a detail view illustrating one means of at taching supplemental cases to the cabinet.

The same numerals refer to like parts in all the figures.

1 indicates the cabinet as a whole and composed of a base portion 2 and a body por- The base 2 comprises two end compartments 4 and 5, in each of which is mounted to swing on horizontally-disposed hinges 6 a plurality of semicircular shelves 7, designed to accommodate instruments used for treating diseases of the eye, ear,

throat, nose, &c. There are a large number of instruments used in treating these diseases, and in many cases they are very small, and it is essential that space enough be provided to spread them out, and at the same time they must be conveniently at hand for ready use. These essentials I have provided for, as each instrument or set of instruments can be arranged on-the shelves.

Intermediate compartments 4 and 5 is a drawer 8, mounted in ways 9 and provided with an enlarged depending portion 10. This drawer is for the purpose of receiving cotton lint, oil-silk, casts, &c. These accessories are essential to a physician, and a good supply must be at hand, which as a rule necessitates them being stored in out-of-the-way places but by making the drawer 8 of ample size a large variety and ample supply of materials will be at hand. The drawer is reduced at its front end 11 to add to the .neat appearance of the cabinet and also provide space for storing purposes should occasion require. Each side the drawer 8 and over the compartments 4 and 5 are drawers 12 and 13 for miscellaneous articles, and above the drawers are movable shelves 14, adapted to slide in under the top 16 of the base 2. 16 is preferably made of glass covered wit felt to add to the appearance of the cabinet.

The body portion 3 is divided by a horizontal partition 17, below which are three compartments 18, 19, and 20. In compartment 18 will be stored jars, bottles, or the like, while compartment 19 will be arranged to receive a microscope, color-stains, and accessories. These two compartments are provided with doors 21 to hide the contents from view and to keep out the dust. Compartment 19 is arranged to receive a urinalysis outfit, the various tubes, 850., being appropriately and conveniently disposed to enable a physician to put his-hand on the article he wants as quickly as possible. Below compartment 19 is a small drawer 23 to retain reagents usually.

Above partition 17 are two drawers 2.4 and 25, and extending upwardly and rearwardly from the drawers is a partition 26, formed with a series of small horizontallydisposed shelves 27, one back of and above the other. On these shelves may be stored small drugs, powders, and minor preparations necessary in the treatment of ofiice cases. On the back of the cabinet and above the shelves 27 are hooks 29 for supporting tubes, vials, or the like. The shelves 27 are protected from dust by a pair of neatly-arranged curtains 30, mounted on a rod 31, supported near the top of the cabinet. I may, however, provide doors for this purpose, if found desirable.

In rear of the back 28 of the cabinet is a compartment 32, in which pads and other physicians rubber goods may be conveniently and systematically stored. In this compartment hooks or other supports 33 are arranged, on which the various instrumentalities may be supported. Owing to the uninterrupted space in rear of the cabinet these elements can be hung full length, and as ample air may get therein the rubber is prevented from becoming hard and useless. To shield the compartment against dust and yet allow a free circulation of air, the compartment 32 is covered by a pair of loosely-drawn curtains 34, as best shown in Fig. 2. When it is desired to gain access to compartment 32, the cabinet is drawn from the wall sufficiently to allow of a person reaching behind it, handles 36 and rollers 37 being provided to facilitate moving the cabinet.

I/Vith almost every physician it is customary to have a secret compartment in his cabinet. I have provided for this contingency and have arranged a compartment 27 in rear of the several shelves 27, having a door 27 preferably on each side of the cabinet, trimmed on the outside with fancy molding to deceive the location. In this compartment may be kept the usual skull, &c., or, if

desired, it can be equipped as a small safe for valuables.

For a certain class of physicians and other professional men larger instruments are used than can be accommodated in the various drawers and compartments thus far de scribed. To meet this requirement, the cabinet is adapted to have sections added to it, as shown in Fig. 1.

40 designates openings in the top of the cabinet, and 41 openings formed in a piece of molding 42. In these openings hooks 43 are attached to supplemental compartments 44, only one side of the cabinet being shown in the drawings with such compartments, the

other being omitted for clearness. The hooks take into the openings and support a supplemental compartment in an obvious manner; but I do not desire to be limited to this particular construction, as it is evident other means may be employed for this purpose without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

The supplemental compartment 44 has a glass door 47, the frame adjacent the cabinet being open to gain access to the secret compartment. In the supplemental compartment will be stored the forceps and other larger surgical instruments which could not be well taken care of in the cabinet proper. Attached to the supplemental compartment 44, as by attaching devices 48, is a smaller supplemental compartment 49 to receive Crookes tubes and accessories. This compartment can be specially fitted for this purpose; but I have omitted detail showing of the same.

My improvement is particularly adapted for a physicians office, as it enables him to retain his instruments in a neat and compact case, the compartments and drawers being arranged to receive the various instruments and the necessary drugs and appurtenances with which a physicians office is usually fully equipped.

The construction of the cabinet is such as to make it an ornament and does not take up a great deal of room, which is quite a factor with a physician having a small oflice-space.

What I claim is- 1. In a physicians cabinet, the combination with compartments and drawers in the base portion, a compartment formed above the body of the cabinet, a series of shelves within said compartment, each of said shelves being in rear of and above the preceding shelf, a compartment formed in the rear of the cabinet adjacent the shelves, a compartment being formed between the shelves and the said rear compartment, a series of instrument-supports, and flexible closures for closing the compartment containing the shelves.

2. In a physicians cabinet, the combination with a pair of compartments in the lower portion thereof, a series of horizontally-hinged shelves in each compartment, a drawer intermediate the compartments which is formed with a downwardly and rearwardly extending bottom, a drawer over each compartment, a series of compartments over and above the said drawers and in the body portion of the cabinet, a series of horizontally disposed shelves above the latter compartments, each of said shelves being above and in rear of the preceding shelf, a secret compartment formed under said shelves, and

doors for gaining access to the secret com-' partment.

3. In a physicians cabinet, the combination with compartments and drawers in the base portion, a series of shelves above the body of the cabinet, each of said shelves being in rear of and above the preceding shelf, a secret compartment below said shelves, doors for gaining access to the secret compartment, and a compartment in rear of the cabinet.

4. In a physicians cabinet, the combination with compartments and drawers in the base portion of the cabinet, a series of shelves in the body portion of the cabinet, each of said shelves being in rear of and above the preceding shelf, a secret compartment formed under the shelves, openings having doors at the sides of the cabinet to gain access to the In testimony whereof I have signed my secret compartment, supplemental detachname to this specification in the presence of able compartments on the sides of the cabitwo subscribing Witnesses.

net and over the doors, the supplemental 1 HENRY A. HUGHES. compartments next to the cabinet being open l Witnesses:

to gain access to the secret doors, and a com- 1 ELIZABETH L. MAOFATE, partment formed in the rear of the cabinet. 1 J NO. IMIRIE. 

